What's like bees? Wasps? Hornets? More bees?

No, silly: Like Bees is the next EP from the shoe-glancers of Dirty on Purpose. Like Bees manages to pack in four originals, a cover of Aussie new-wavers Real Life's "Send Me an Angel", and guest appearances from the Jealous Girlfriends' Holly Miranda and New York folkie Jaymay.

You can net Like Bees when it emerges January 15 on North Street Records.

Having recently wrapped a spate of shows with those Fujiya & Miyagi gents, the Dirty dudes have but one gig to their names at the moment. It's not one to be slept on, however: Tomorrow, November 3, they play an all-night "Takeover" party at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (post-Sufjan) along with Be Your Own Pet, Antibalas, Heartless Bastards, and the Exit.

Once rested up, the band plans to record some new tunes (four, apparently) to be released through RCRD LBL next year. [MORE...]

Also diss Stockton California

So that Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks album that's coming out in March on Matador now has a title. And it is...drumroll please...

Real Emotional Trash *

That's got a nice ring to it.

Looks like they're going to tour the United States in the spring, and then Europe and Asia. Right now, they've only got two shows scheduled: December 19 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco and on December 21 at the Doug Fir in Portland, Oregon. Both shows feature Blitzen Trapper opening.

All of this was posted yesterday on the band's website, along with a strange rant against the city of Stockton, California that involves Todd Haynes' new Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There. (As you know, Malkmus contributed to that movie's soundtrack.)

* (FYI, Matador Records hasn't confirmed any of this information yet, so don't be too surprised if the album title changes.)

Full rant below. And thanks to Colin Loustalot for noticing it! [MORE...]

Photos by Akmal Naim

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists joined their spiritual brethren the Pogues on Wednesday night for a Halloween show at Los Angeles' Wiltern. Shane McGowan, reunited with his classic crew, assumed the guise of a mariachi band in celebration of the holiday, while Leo and the boys dressed up as, um, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Great costume, guys!

More photos and tour dates below.

TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS






THE POGUES



[MORE...]

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Another cancellation today? Nah. It's just a postponement for the Smashing Pumpkins, who've moved a handful of dates on their current tour due to the illness of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Experiencing chest pains, Chamberlin was taken to an Atlanta hospital Tuesday where he was diagnosed with a partially blocked artery. He was released yesterday, but due to his recovery, the band was forced to shelve their last two shows and the next three, all of which have been moved back a few weeks starting November 11. All tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates.

Quoted on the band's MySpace blog, Chamberlin says, "the good news is that my heart checked out. No damage. Basically a small build up of plaque on one of my arteries. This combined with stress, fatigue, and all of the other good things that go along with being on tour was the cause of my pain. So obviously we had to postpone the end of the tour while I recover. It should only be a week or so until JC is ready to rock again." For a full message from, um, JC, go here.

Just to recap: Jimmy Chamberlin refers to himself in the third person, by his initials. This band, I tell ya. [MORE...]

One of the year's best rock albums now has a companion EP-- complete with remixes from the Field and Four Tet, as well as a cotribution from Joell Ortiz and a pair of videos.

BBC Radio 1 celebrates itself by asking the hot bands of today (you know, Razorlight, Calvin Harris,  Paolo Nutini) cover the hits of yesteryear. Also involved are the Raconteurs, Lily Allen, Klaxons, the Streets, Foo Fighters, and Kylie Minogue.

A 2xCD compilation mixed by Playgroup (former Output Records owner Trevor Jackson) and Alter Ego pauses to consider what we mean when we speak of "electro."

Though at times heavy-handed, there's a dark gravity to this album from the former Verbena singer, who now seems reborn as a southern preacher type, steeping blues-folk sermons in Biblical imagery.

New York dance-rock outfit returns with a jittery, sullen seven-track EP that sort of rocks and doesn't really dance.

Sort of

Right at this very moment, an opera house full of some very lucky New Yorkers is taking in the premiere of Sufjan Stevens' orchestral piece "The BQE" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The rest of us are patiently waiting to find out what the hell "The BQE" actually is.

Lucky for us, the Asthmatic Kitty website posted today a tractor-trailer-load of information about the piece.

Want to a brief overview of Sufjan's fascination with the hippest highway in indie rock? Go here. How about Sufjan's thoughts on how the hula hoop is related to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway? There ya go. Or a list of things Sufjan and the NYPD found on the side of the road? (Choice quote: "4. Your cane. Why walk, when you can drive the BQE!") The official bird of the BQE? The House Sparrow, of course.

What about, you know, the actual music thing? Oh, that. Here's a list of everybody who's performing with Sufjan. Looks like My Brightest Diamond, Marla Hansen, and members of Crystal Skulls, Clare & the Reasons, Antony's Johnsons, and many, many more.

So what did we learn here? Well, Sufjan is a very good writer. And a funny guy! Also, we should all move to Brooklyn.

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Another cancellation today? Nah. It's just a postponement for the Smashing Pumpkins, who've moved a handful of dates on their current tour due to the illness of drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. Experiencing chest pains, Chamberlain was taken to an Atlanta hospital Tuesday where he was diagnosed with a partially blocked artery. He was released yesterday, but due to his recovery, the band was forced to shelve their last two shows and the next three, all of which have been moved back a few weeks starting November 11. All tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates.

Quoted on the band's MySpace blog, Chamberlain says, "the good news is that my heart checked out. No damage. Basically a small build up of plaque on one of my arteries. This combined with stress, fatigue, and all of the other good things that go along with being on tour was the cause of my pain. So obviously we had to postpone the end of the tour while I recover. It should only be a week or so until JC is ready to rock again." For a full message from, um, JC, go here.

Just to recap: Jimmy Chamberlain refers to himself in the third person, by his initials. This band, I tell ya. [MORE...]

In ten years on planet Earth, Philadelphia's Space 1026 gallery/venue/cooperative/ gathering place has pretty much seen it all. Diplo, Lightning Bolt, Daniel Johnston, Mirah, Bahamadia, and Need New Body have all played there. Plastic Little call the space home. MF Doom laid a bunch of tracks for the Viktor Vaughn Vaudeville Villain album to tape at 1026, and a nascent Man Man recorded in the space as well. And that's to say nothing of all the art, some of which looks pretty damned awesome.

So in tribute to ten solid years of creative mayhem, Space 1026 will dust off some of its finest work and put it back on display for "Never Forget! Do It Yourself With Other People". The exhibit, which opens November 2 and runs through December 20, gathers pieces from the musician/artist likes of Johnston, Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale, Brendan Fowler (aka BARR), and Plastic Little's Jayson Musson, plus Dischord affiliate Cynthia Connolly, OBEY/Zeitgeist guy Shepard Fairey and tons more.

In conjunction with the celebration, there will also be an art auction on December 7. Here's to ten more inspired years, guys!

For people who like their music criticism lengthy, in-depth, and focused on one album at a time, Continuum Books' 33 1/3 series is the place to turn. There are currently over 50 books in the constantly growing series, and chances are good there's one about your favorite album just waiting for you to read it. (As previously reported, previous volumes have included the Decemberists' Colin Meloy examining the Replacements' Let It Be, Joe Pernice of the Pernice Brothers writing about the Smiths, and tomes about Prince, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, the Beastie Boys, David Bowie, and many, many more.)

Pitchfork's own Associate Editor-in-Chief Scott Plagenhoef is responsible for one of the most recent entries in the series, about Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister. Check out an excerpt here. Pitchfork contributor Amanda Petrusich's book on Nick Drake's Pink Moon just came out as well; an excerpt is available here. Stephen Catanzarite's take on U2's Achtung Baby is also out now.

Several other Pitchfork contributors have books forthcoming in the series. December holds the release of Forker Carl Wilson's book on Céline Dion's Let's Talk About Love and Forker/Matmos half Drew Daniel's book on Throbbing Gristle's 20 Jazz Funk Greats.

Lest someone suspect Pitchfork staffers of stealing the show, David Smay's book on Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones also comes out in December. Then in March and April, the series will reload with books on albums by Black Sabbath (by Mountain Goat John Darnielle), Slayer (by DX Ferris), and Patti Smith (by Phil Shaw).

Or, if you've got a short attention span (or prefer singles to albums-- zing!), there's 33 1/3's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, which compiles excerpts from many titles in the series.

Now, if you just read over that list of forthcoming titles, you may have noticed that Carl Wilson's choice of a Céline Dion album is, perhaps, less traditionally canonical than the rest of the series' subjects. But wait! The book isn't just about Céline Dion. It's subtitled "A Journey to the End of Taste", and according to the book jacket, "As Wilson strives to understand Céline's immense global popularity, he faces the question of what drives personal taste-- and whether it's possible to change it."

The folks at 33 1/3 are convinced that the book is so good, they will send PDFs of the first two chapters to anyone who sends an email to letstalkaboutceline@yahoo.com. You can also read an excerpt from the book's third chapter at the 33 1/3 blog here. It's just like the library!

Sad! Just two dates into their fall "Long and Short of It" tour, the Decemberists have announced that they are calling the whole thing off. It looks like the sickness that befell a member of the band a month ago, resulting in the cancellation of their British tour, just hasn't gotten better.

Here's the statement from the band:

"With much regret the Decemberists have cancelled the remainder of 'The Long and Short of It' tour.

"One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates. After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the illness is much worse than we had initially realized. We need to return home so our friend can mend.

"It saddens us to disappoint our fans. We hope everybody understands it is only because of an extreme situation that we had to cancel a tour we've all been excited about doing since the idea was originally hatched.

"Our deepest apologies but at this time no plans are being made to reschedule the dates. Ticket holders should seek refunds at point of purchase."

Get well soon, guys! [MORE...]

My buddy, my buddy/ Wherever I go, he goes...

Photo via Chicagoist

Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter share more than just a first name and a knack for absurd humor. For starters, their resumes both include "The State", "Stella", and Wet Hot American Summer. They also both have new albums (Black's I Am a Wonderful Man is out now, Showalter's Sandwiches & Cats comes out November 13 via JDub). And now, the Michaels have decided to share a handful of U.S. stages in support of those records.

Though three dates of the tour have already passed, there are still six remaining. Their next show is November 14 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. [MORE...]

The Rumble Strips, those English lads with the tremble-causin' moniker and the loads of punky, horn-y hooks, are coming to the U.S. at last. On November 27, Kanine will issue the boys' first Stateside release, the Alarm Clock EP. In addition to a half-dozen hot slabs of British rock and/or roll (including a cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town"), the disc comes with videos for both "Alarm Clock" and "Oh Creole".

The band will harness that Rumble of theirs on a handful of plotted live appearances both at home and abroad, including a number of rare Stateside gigs in late November and early December. And on November 19, they'll release new single "Time" in the UK. [MORE...]

Robert Pollard is, as we all know, a man with the Midas touch. Dude need only lay a finger upon a blank CD-R and-- presto!-- new album in the can. And not surprisingly, Mr. Pollard has been getting his magic fingers all over the place of late, which means we can expect two new Pollard-centric releases in the early '08.

"But wait!" you say. "Did Mr. Robert Pollard not just hit us with two simultaneous releases via the respected Merge imprint?" And indeed he did. But those, my friend, are so last month.

This month (um, November) is all about anticipating Pollard's upcoming Chicago show, while the next (that would be December) is reserved for experiencing and reminiscing about the guy's gig in Newport, Kentucky (and his art show, but we'll get to that).

Which leaves January wide open for the release of the next Pollard LP, Superman Was a Rocker. Due the 29th of that month from Bob's Happy Jack Rock Records (also responsible for that singles series), Superman finds Dayton, Ohio's own crime-fighter from another planet festooning a bunch of instrumentals he's been hoarding over the years with vocals. Old pals Tobin Sprout, Jimmy Pollard, Doug Gillard, Mitch Mitchell, Nate Farley, Kevin Fennell, and Kevin March all pop up on this release.

February 26, then, has the same label offering up We've Moved by Psycho and the Birds, Pollard's collaboration with Guided by Voices producer Todd Tobias.

And the Pollard touch doesn't stop at music, mind you. Also a master of that kindergarten art-making staple, the collage, Pollard will soon display some of his best work in the medium at a New York City gallery. "Do the Collage" runs at Studio Dante-- co-owned by Michael Imperioli of "The Sopranos" fame-- December 9-10 and features over 50 of Pollard's renderings in cut-outs and glue.

What's more, Pollard's cleverly juxtaposed clippings-- some of which have served as cover art for his myriad releases over the years-- will be collected in the book Town of Mirrors: The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard, due from Fantagraphics in 2008. [MORE...]

Just knows he's going to have to Tivo Sportscenter

New Lil Wayne tracks keep arriving from all corners of the internet, and yet, none of them are Bad Ass Grasshopper tunes. But even without an appearance from Wayne's full-band incarnation, there is still a constant barrage of beats and outer space/food/sports metaphors coming from the New Orleans native's camp.

In recognition of his prodigious collection of leaked songs, Lil Wayne will release Tha Carter III: The Leak on December 18, according to an MTV.com report. The record is a preview of sorts for Tha Carter III, his still-forthcoming follow-up to Tha Carter II.

According to the report, Wayne has tentative plans to release the official III on February 12. The album is rumored to feature contributions from Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland.

As for the contents of The Leak, Wayne told MTV.com, "Every song that was leaked is coming out on December 18, and we have four new songs. The song 'Gossip' is gonna be the first single from that album. I'ma shoot the video for that in about a week."

He also said the songs on The Leak will be updated from their original bootlegged versions. "I'm a perfectionist. I'ma change a couple verses, couple of lines. I ain't gonna change nothing up where it fucks up the song; I'll just make it more complete. There are songs out there that weren't finished; I'll add hooks, third verses. We're working for the fans."

As also reported by MTV.com, Wayne appeared in an Atlanta court yesterday, October 31, in connection with the drug possession/fugitive charges that put him in jail in early October. It was only a brief arraignment, and Wayne will return to court November 20.

Lil Wayne currently has a few shows scheduled for the next few weeks, starting November 1 in Nashville.

Finally, Wayne actually withdrew from a previously reported project (a first?). He will no longer be the host of TheNext.tv's "Making the Next Hit!". Instead, those duties will fall to Jagged Edge. [MORE...]

Forgive the fidelity of these photos, please. It wasn't my intention to do anything at last night's Art Brut / Hold Steady gig at Chicago's Metro but have a few beers and throw up a fist or two in the general direction of rock and roll and, as such, I wasn't really packing the proper light meters and whatnot. But when Eddie Argos took the stage in an ill-fitting Elvis getup (the crotch of which, it pains me to report, rode halfway to where the sun don't shine by set's end) and the rest of the Brut followed suit in appropriate Halloween getup, well, it was all I could do not to push my way to the front to help show them off. Alas, guitarist Jasper Future's Gladiator armor and drummer Mikey Breyer's feathered Blades of Glory spandex proved hard to capture, but rest assured, they looked dashing.

A Morricone western soundtrack heralded the Hold Steady's imminent arrival on stage, so it was no big surprise—but still a friggin' riot—when the band emerged dressed as caricatures of Mexican cowboys, draped in serapes with silly little moustaches. Craig's costume lasted exactly two songs, though the moustache glue proved stronger than his resistance to heat. Complete with chomped off stogie, guitarist Tad Kubler's ensemble took the badass crown, but you've got to hand it to a group of dudes willing to don carpets in a hot club and then flail around for an hour and a half.

Oh, and the show? Fucking tops.

ART BRUT

THE HOLD STEADY

[MORE...]

With Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Presets, the Brunettes, and Devastations, too!

Reporting on this year's three-city St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, Pitchfork's Joe Tangari dubbed it "Australia's most insurgent and unique pop music event". Since then, the festival has added another city-- Adelaide-- and lined up a whole bunch of fine bands for the 2008 edition, sending its unique insurgency into previously unheard strata.

Feist, Okkervil River, Kevin Drew, Dan Deacon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Presets, the Brunettes, and the Devastations highlight said bunch, with most showing up on all dates. (The Adelaide gig, perhaps due to its newness, is shy one Deacon, a Drew, and a pair of Brunettes). Adelaide kicks things off February 23 2008, and Melbourne follows the next day. When the working week is done, the fest hits Brisbane March 1 and Sydney March 2.

Linda S. Stein, staple of the 1970s New York scene and ex-wife of Sire Records chief Seymour Stein, was-- according to a report in The New York Times-- bludgeoned to death Tuesday night (October 30) in her Manhattan apartment. She was 62.

In the late 70s, Ms. Stein co-managed the Ramones, who were at the time signed to her husband's label. Following her divorce from Mr. Stein, Linda became "real estate agent to the stars," arranging the transfer of property between her famous friends and acquaintances.

Stein was found with a severe injury to the skull, and the death was officially ruled a homicide yesterday. Authorities have yet to comment on any possible motive.

Stein is survived by two daugthers and one granddaughter.

With: Califone, Sea & Cake, Fiery Furnaces, Trans Am, Arbouretum, Freakwater, ADULT.

It's a Quinceañera for Thrill Jockey! And, in the spirit of this fifteen year milestone, the beloved and venerated Chicago record-releasing institution has-- as promised-- planned a massive hometown fiesta.

With barely a month to recover from their upcoming London gala-- which goes down November 11 and 12, in conjunction with All Tomorrow's Parties-- Thrill Jockey will host a homecoming shindig at the Windy City's Logan Square Auditorium December 14 and 15.

Who's invited? You, of course, plus a hearty portion of the Thrill Jockey roster: The Sea and Cake, Califone, the Fiery Furnaces, Trans Am, Arbouretum, Freakwater, ADULT., the Zincs, Bobby Conn, Brokeback, Eleventh Dream Day, Archer Prewitt, Pit Er Pat, Field Music offshoot and new signing School of Language, Thalia Zedek, Angela Desveaux, Fred Anderson Trio, and Frequency.

Conspicuously absent: Chicago's own Tortoise (who will, however, perform at the London event). But members of Tortoise do play in the Sea and Cake and Brokeback as well-- and "surprise guests" are promised-- so let's not rule them out quite yet. They're slow creatures, after all.

Also making an appearance: the previously mentioned and recently Forkcasted Super Epic Thrill Jockey Mega Massive Mix put together by Gregg "Girl Talk" Gillis and Frank Musarra under the Trey Told 'Em banner. Folks who attend the Chitown or LDN parties will receive a copy of the mix, which mashes every last doggone Thrill Jockey artist ever into one 70-minute mindfuck. Super epic mega massive, indeed.

If a trip to Chicago or London isn't in the cards for you, you can still score the Mega Massive Mix-- in very limited quantities, we must warn-- through Trey Told 'Em or Thrill Jockey's mail order. And let's not forget the cover-swapping 7" box set, Plum, packed with hot Thrill Jockey artist-on-artist action and available at the anniversary shows. Plum hits UK shops December 3 and U.S. ones the day after.

Finally, just to keep you on your toes, Thrill Jockey is not revealing when each of the aforementioned acts will play in Chicago. So, you know, best to arrive early and take it all in, no? When jockeying for thrills, after all, is it not best to embrace the unknown?

Photo by Johan Bergmark

It's been a crazy busy year for Peter Bjorn and John, yet somehow the peanut in PB&J, Peter Morén, has found time to ditch the butter and jelly and put together a solo album. Salty!

As previously reported, Morén will give NYC audiences a taste of his solo self at Joe's Pub on November 19. Since that report, more details on Peter's opus have come to light-- not to mention that swank photograph up there-- so turn down "Young Folks" for a sec and tune in.

The Last Tycoon, as the album's known for the moment (title subject to change), finds Mr. Morén in home-recording mode-- honing his craft in apartments and rehearsal spaces, and calling in some friends when he'd reached the limits of his own musical prowess (pals played vibraphone and musical saw, for instance). Collaborators include Concretes guitar-slinger Daniel Värjö, singer-songwriter Tobias Fröberg, and string arranger Leo Svensson (of the Tiny).

Morén's still mixing the LP-- which draws inspiration from F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished final novel The Love of the Last Tycoon and On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan's filmic adaptation The Last Tycoon-- and he's yet to find a label for it. He did, however, part with some of the song titles. If you're feeling saucy at Joe's later this month, go ahead and request "Social Competence", "This Is What I Came For", "Le Petite Coeur", and/or "I Don't Gaze at the Sky for Long".

And if you're feeling really saucy, bark out those song titles during one of Peter Bjorn and John's many upcoming gigs with the Besnard Lakes and others. Butter and jelly will love you for it, I'm sure. [MORE...]

Photo by Akmal Naim

Their eerie hold over fictional Jersey gals and the record-buying public being rather well documented at this point, the Shins are turning their strange powers on yet another unlikely target: "Strange Powers", the Magnetic Fields song from Holiday.

According to Uncut, James Mercer and his Shins will take on the track for a B-side on a new UK-only single for Wincing the Night Away's "Sea Legs", appearing on 7" and digital download December 3 from Transgressive.

As for the vinyl pressing of "Sea Legs", well, the Shins aren't gonna press up too many more of those than they need, which makes it one of those "limited" editions. To drum up even more interest in those "Legs", the first 500 seven-inchers will be signed by the band. I hear Jesse Sandoval draws hearts where his "o" should be.

The Shins are off to Europe, with a little help along the way from the well-dressed young men of Vampire Weekend. They'll make their way to Japan mid-month for a brief run of shows there. [MORE...]

After successful tours with Dan Deacon and Girl Talk, White Williams issues a debut album layered with impeccable influences-- including Roxy Music, Beck, and T. Rex-- and a sense of calculated disaffection.

Visual artist David Shrigley has a book of his lyrics set to music by 39 artists over two CDs; among those featured are Liars, Grizzly Bear, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, David Byrne, Final Fantasy, and Dirty Projectors.

Band's third album of convincingly vintage-sounding soul is slightly smoother and more refined than its predecessors, tending to evoke late-1960s Motown rather than early 70s r&b.

Versatile guitarist Chris Schlarb releases his first solo album under his name, enlisting dozens of collaborators including Sufjan Stevens, and also has a new record with his I Heart Lung duo project with drummer Tom Steck.

Calvin Harris didn't create disco, duh. He didn't create electro-house, either, but in a year full of cranked synths, proud hedonism, and Daft Punk shows, the UK music-buying public has decided to befriend the Scottish producer and singer-songwriter

Paparazzi = so dead

Photo by Daniel Arnold

2007 has been a banner year for the Black Lips. They came, they saw, and now they're making their move to the silver screen as the stars of the forthcoming film Let It Be. According to its website, the movie is "the story of the movement in underground American music that was known as D.I.Y." as told through the narrative of a fictional band called the Renegades, played by the Black Lips.

Springboard Films is working in collaboration with the Lips' label, Vice, on Let It Be, which will be produced by The Breakfast Club/Fried Green Tomatoes producer Andrew Meyer and Winn Coslick. It will be directed by Roger Rawlings.

Given the mid-late 80s setting of the movie and the name of the fictional band it takes as its subject, its title seems more an homage to the Replacements than the Beatles. According to a press release, "the movie will be filmed throughout the Southeast and will include notable music of the period and new music written by the band [Black Lips]."

The Lips have a month-and-a-half of dates scheduled for this year to keep them busy for at least a little while longer until production on Let It Be begins in May 2008. [MORE...]

"They really helped us to grow. They've taught us about the worthlessness of A&R people, how to yell at idiots running an art department, and how to shake hands with smiling retailers who have no idea who you are."

Photo by © Rachael Warner

An amicable split this was not. As reported earlier this month, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have parted ways with Interscope Records after releasing three albums via the major label, including last year's So Divided. Never one to hold his tongue (nor pen), frontman Conrad Keely spoke out about the label shakeup this week on the band's website. The gist of Mr. Keely's words? Burrrrrrn.

Interscope, naturally, took the brunt of Keely's barbs. Label chief Jimmy Iovine in particular: his work with John Lennon and Phil Spector was called into question by Keely, as were his alleged relationships with Stevie Nicks and "the lead singer guy of the Pussycat Dolls."

"He's had a great dating record," wrote Keely, "he just won't have the next TOD record." OK then.

As for the label itself? "At the expense of a massive debt to them of half a million dollars, they really helped us to grow. They've taught us about the worthlessness of A&R people, how to yell at idiots running an art department, and how to shake hands with smiling retailers who have no idea who you are." Furthermore, "their idea of marketing [was] keeping it a secret that we'd released a record."

Also caught up in the bilious crossfire: a recent set of Yahoo.com interview questions ("I was asked a bunch of dumb questions so I gave a bunch of what I thought were even less relevant answers."), Ratatat ("like a great band where they accidentally erased all the vocal tracks"), and an unnamed basketball video game ("which I hate").

Amidst all the animus and enmity, Keely did find at least one potential friend: "fictional guitarist Skwisgaar Skwigelf" of Trail of Dead's present tourmates, cartoon band Dethklok (dates below). "He and I will no doubt have many things to talk about."

Thoroughly amusing-- if a mite frightening (Happy Halloween, yo)-- the entirety of Mr. Keely's diatribe may be found here.

And speaking of outlets for pent-up aggression, how about roller derby? All girl roller derby, to be precise. Hell on Wheels is a documentary that explores the phenomenon, and it features original music from, you guessed it, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The film has been playing at festivals from SXSW to CMJ this year; seek it out next time you yearn to burn someone or something. [MORE...]

Photo by Greg Lutze

Arthur & Yu: In Camera and on stages across the nation this autumn. The fresh-faced, folksy Seattle duo will soon saddle up for another round of dates in support of their afore-linked debut for Sub Pop's lil' cousin label Hardly Art, and we're at least as excited about it as this guy.

This time around they'll be warming stages for Broken Social Scenester Kevin Drew and his Spirit If... crew. Arthur & Yu & Drew's travels in tandem commence tomorrow evening (November 1) in Boulder, Colorado.

What's more, the romance of the ampersands has been rekindled, as A&Y will reunite with recent tourmates Iron & Wine for a week's worth of December gigs in the Wild Wild West.

In between all that: a lone Seattle date, but one of cosmic proportions, at which Arthur & Yu collide with the very inspiration for their label's name: The Thermals. Who knows what will remain of the Pacific Northwest after that dust settles. [MORE...]

And the rumors have proven true. As suggested for weeks now and confirmed in a